Creative Juices

Clara Grace Walker's Blog

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

I don’t normally talk much about what’s going on in
the news.I figure the world gets plenty
of shouting, opining and people otherwise commenting on the state of the
world.And sometimes it makes more sense
to just listen.Occasionally, however,
something happens and I find I just can’t resist pulling out my soapbox.

I’m guessing pretty much everyone has heard about the
NFL players arrested for various types of domestic abuse by now.After all, even I’ve heard about it, and I
don’t even watch football.And while I
don’t care much about football, I do care a lot about the issue of domestic
abuse.

This probably comes as no real surprise to anyone
who’s read my books.Maggie was an
ardent supporter of a domestic abuse shelter in Gratification; Gossip
tackled the subject of sexual abuse of underage girls while its heroine, Jamie,
tried to help a teen-age prostitute; and Mindy, the heroine of Redemption, was a survivor of sexual and
emotional abuse.

Issues of abuse are woven throughout the storylines of
the entire Desire Never Dies
series.As in real life, the abusers
come from all walks of life.Scott, whom
Preston Tyler adopts in Gratification,
comes from a drug-addicted mother on welfare, while Darla Arnold, from Gossip has suffered abuse at the hands
of her publishing tycoon father.Redemption takes a look at the effects
abuse can have on its victims as Mindy, Scott and Darla, all abuse survivors,
now struggled with addiction.

HelpGuide.org says the following:

“Domestic
violence can happen to anyone, yet the problem is often overlooked, excused or
denied.This is especially true when the
abuse is psychological, rather

Than
physical.Noticing and acknowledging the
signs of an abusive relationship is the first step to ending it.”

This link to their website provides more in-depth
information, signs of abuse and resources and information:http://www.helpguide.org/articles/abuse/domestic-violence-and-abuse.htm

It’s not always easy to hear about this issue, or read
about it, or even think too much about it.Perhaps because the betrayal of trust is so great.Perhaps because it’s uncomfortable to realize
the darkness one human being is capable of inflicting upon another; upon those
whom they claim to love.Perhaps the
solutions to the problem just seem so far out-of-reach.

I even had one reviewer of Gossip caution that those who did not have the stomach for sex
scandal should maybe not read my book.But maybe that’s the best reason to read my books (of course, I like to
think people should read my books because they’ll like them.Shining a light on a problem is usually the
first step in dealing with it.It’s when
we allow dark deeds to remain hidden that they fester and grow.So I write about domestic abuse in my
books.I want people to know these
things happen.I want people to be as
outraged as I am.And maybe, just maybe,
if enough people know about these things, and enough people get outraged, we
can one day stop turning on our televisions and hearing about things like an
NFL domestic abuse scandal.

That’s my hope anyway.

Thank you, all, for indulging my little soapbox
moment.Now put that smile back on your
face, because there’s still a lot of good left in the world, too.Like books!! J

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

When I’m deep in the realms of Creative Land…some
mystical place outside so-called normal reality where authors, artists,
musicians and the like travel…I frequently see my books paying out like some
Hollywood film filtering through my mind.

Not surprisingly then, the idea of having my books
turned into a TV series and/or movies, holds the appeal of say, winning the
MegaMillions lottery, finding an undiscovered DaVinci in my attic or finding a
money tree in my backyard.Yes, that much.Really.No, I’m not kidding.If someone
were to offer me a choice between putting my books on film or all 3 of the
others, I would say put my books on film.Pretty please!With a cherry on
top!!

So then, in this wonderful, mystical world where my
books become films, whom, you might ask, do I see in the starring roles?

Haha! This is fun!Let’s start with our heroes and heroines:

Gratification:

Preston Tyler - Simon Baker (suave, debonair, killer
smile)

Magie McKenzie - Megan Fox (long dark hair & lots
of spunk)

Gossip:

Nick Beck - Karl Uban (yummy Kiwi hottie!)

Jamie Jennings - Rose Leslie (one tough redhead)

Redemption:

Earl Grayson - Anson Mount (tall, dark and inspiring)

Mindy LePage - Emilia Clarke (even has the dark hair
dyed blonde!)

Oh wait!I know
how to make this even more fun…who would you cast in the starring roles??

And don’t stop there…who would you cast in these
supporting roles??Post it here; tweet
it to me, or give me a shout on Facebook…can’t wait to see what you think!!

Saturday, July 26, 2014

As human beings, we’re fond of categorizing
things.People are commonly broken down
into groups according to external factors.Go anywhere in the world and you’ll find people categorizing other
people.In school students were
categorized by groups such as jocks, , cheerleaders, and brainiacs.Some kids belonged to more than one group,
while a very few crossed easily between the boundaries.Consider me a boundary crosser.

We tend to like groups, I think, because it gives us
some perceived point of reference.In
this way we feel like we can size someone up, make our judgments about them,
without taking too much effort getting to know them as individuals.

It isn’t all that different with writers.We have groups, too.The romance novelist, the mystery writer, the
sci-fi guru, and a whole host of others.Not to mention all the various sub-genres.And as soon as an author has typed or written
the words, The End, and thinks about
publishing their work, he or she will be asked to categorize themselves.

Now, before I get too much further into this, let me
acknowledge; I get it.Publishing is all
about marketing, and marketing is all about selling.And all those readers out there?Well they want to know at a glance; is this a
book I’m going to enjoy reading?So a
certain amount of classification is necessary.But here’s the thing; categories are all about expectations, and
expectations are all about rules.

I’ve never been good at following a complete, pre-set
list of rules, as laid down by someone else.Call me a rebel, but I like to decide things for myself.And my writing is no exception.I write what I like to call Mainstream Romantic
Suspense.Though one reviewer of my work
recently likened it to a soap opera, and really that’s quite an apt description
also.

I go with the mainstream title because I don’t want to
be told on what page my hero needs to meet my heroine, or what percentage of my
book needs to focus on the romance, versus the suspense, or other elements of
the plot.And if I want one or more of
my characters to use strong language or behave despicably, or for my books to
have a gritty feel covering very adult topics, well I want the freedom to do
that.I suppose I could just stick
myself in the mystery/suspense/thriller category, but that would preclude the
strong romance portion of my book.And
hey, I like romance!So Mainstream
Romantic Suspense it is.

I suspect the readers will have less of a problem with
this than the marketing gurus.But if it
makes the marketing gurus happy, maybe we could just go along with that
reviewer-suggested tag and start a whole new genre.I’m thinking of calling it Soap Opera
Fiction.J

Monday, June 2, 2014

What is a Writer’s Blog Tour?Hmm… here’s what I know:I received an invitation from Callie Hunter
to participate in this blog tour.Callie
Hunter is a very talented writer, in addition to being a lovely young
woman.So I was happy to jump on board
when she asked me to take part.I love
the concept of so many writers sharing their love of the written word, hearing
how they work through their writing process, and supporting other writers.

I can’t wait to read what Callie and so many other
wonderful authors have to say about writing.Here’s what I have to say about it:

1.What am I working on?

A:Because I always more than one iron in the
fire, I am finishing the editing on Redemption,
which will be published this month, while drafting my next book, Exploits.Redemption
will conclude my Desire Never Dies
trilogy.In it we meet movie star Earl
Grayson and the woman he loves, pop singer Mindy LePage.Those of you who’ve read Gossip know this pairing was hinted at near the end of the
book.Earl’s quest to save the woman he
loves from a psychotic rehab facility involves all of the major players from
the previous two books, Gratification
and Gossip.And look for more than one character to be
redeemed.

After the publication of Redemption, I will continue work on my next series, Sex and Secrets.Exploits
will launch this series, where either the heroine or the hero is hiding a
secret that stands in the way of their happily-ever-after.Look for danger to ensue, along with a few
hot and steamy moments and a bit of soul searching before our lovers realize
they cannot live without each other.

2.How does my work differ from others of its
genre?

A:Romantic suspense always combines the
elements of romance with a dash of danger, and my books do that as well.Unlike the typical category books, however,
mine are usually as focused on the suspense as they are on the romance.I write mainstream fiction with a more
realistic feel and feature some characters with a bit of an edge.I also like to tackle heavier topics, such as
abuse and exploitation, that are not typically found in romance novels.You can also expect my books to feature a
sprinkling of glitz and glamour, juxtaposed with some of the seedier elements
of life.

3.Why do I write what I do?

A:I find myself continually drawn to the themes
of redemption and the deceptive nature of appearances.Because I’m a real romantic at heart and
because I also love mystery and suspense, these elements show up in my writing,
wrapped in a nice package of romantic suspense.The stories I tell are ones that build inside me until I’m forced to
tell them.It’s just my own unique way
of looking at the world, I suppose.

4.How does my writing process work?

A:I usually start with the romance.The first thing I know about any story I
write is who the hero and heroine are, and what’s keeping them apart, (both
internally and externally).The external
obstacles are where the danger/suspense creeps into the story, and the internal
conflicts are where my themes tend to show up.

I don’t plot everything out stringently.Usually I have just enough of the story in my
head to get me started writing it, while leaving enough room to allow the story
to develop on its own as I tell it.

I hope you’ve enjoyed hearing a little about my
writing process.Be sure to read more
about writing next Monday, when three of my favorite authors/people, will be
blogging about their own writing journey.

B.A. Wilson

B.A. Wilson
lives in the middle of nowhere, Missouri. She received a Bachelor of Arts in
Music and Tourism, that took her further from her dreams of writing and a
Masters of Science in Library Science and Information Services, which brought
her so much closer. Wilson is too short for her weight, too nocturnal for her
day job, and way too liberal for her small town.

http://bawilsonwrites.blogspot.com/

Sophia
Valentine

Sophia
Valentine is an author, blogger, book reviewer, and newspaper features writer.
She is currently working on her debut novel. Originally from England, she left
her career in Law for the excitement of sunny Spain. She has resumed her
lifelong passion of writing books, usually from a pool or beach bar. She also
loves sunbathing at private villa’s drinking a Cosmopolitan, shopping,
holidaying, and socialising.

Janie E.M. Storer was born in Essex,
England in 1976 and qualified as a nurse in 1998.She did well at school and university despite
during her early years being told she would never learn to read or write well. By The last year of junior school she had read
the ENTIRE school library of books, including the full unabridged version of
Lorna Doon. At age 11 she was given a book by her teacher at school, called
Daddy Long Legs, and this became a firm favourite, along with Pollyanna and
inspired her to write.Janie loves the
classic books as well as science fiction and crime / murder mysteries, she also
has a love of crafts such as knitting, crochet, quilting, cross stitch and
jewellery.

Monday, May 5, 2014

As a writer, I bare my soul in many ways.You might be surprised to learn then, that
I’m a fairly private person.Many
aspects of my personal life stay hidden behind a façade of smiles and positivity.One aspect of my personal life, in
particular, I thought I’d never mention, is my health.While shopping at the supermarket, however, I
had this thought.What if writing about
this aspect of my life helped someone?What if it motivated someone to stay positive and soldier on, even when
the going got tough?

That single thought was all I needed to convince me I
should be writing about this.So here
goes:I have an incurable disease.In my case, it’s a blood cancer called
polycythemia.The Mayo Clinic defines
polycythemia as, “a slow-growing type of blood cancer in which your bone marrow
makes too many red blood cells.”I’m
lucky really, as this disease will probably not shorten my life much, if at
all.

As medieval as it sounds, my disease is treated with
bloodletting.For the past five years,
my life has consisted of regular blood counts and, when necessary, draining
some of it out.They call this process
phlebotomy.Perhaps because it sounds so
much nicer than bloodletting.

There are days when the bloodletting goes well, and
other times, not so much.Occasionally
they have trouble getting the blood out.Once, after jamming the needle into both arms and still not getting out
the required half a liter, I was told to come back and try again the following
week.I found myself praying the bruises
on my arms would heal before the next attempt.Another time I passed out following the procedure, before the nurse even
pulled the needle from my vein.I
regained consciousness to see four nurses surrounding me; one placing ice packs
on my chest, another holding an oxygen mask over my face, while a third
prepared to start an IV, (and yes, this means I’m going home with two more
bruises).My hematologist, a lovely man
who has hugged me when I cried, sat beside me, hand placed gently over my
forehead.

Mere seconds after coming to, I started throwing
up.Quick, change the oxygen mask for a
sick bag.

On days like this I don’t feel much like writing.Really, I just want to curl up in bed, covers
pulled to my chin, and spend enormous amounts of time feeling sorry for
myself.I’m sure we all have those
days.And I’m quick to remember, that
for some, the cause of a bad day is far worse.

The question as a writer is what to do with a day like
that, and how to keep it from sucking the joy from your life, and your work.

There’s an old saying about getting back on the horse
when you’re thrown, and for me, it’s a lot like that.As with my cure for writer’s block, my cure
for dealing with inspiration-sapping days is to just start writing.Usually I start by looking for some emotional
scene in my book that needs to be written, and pouring whatever I’m feeling
into it.My last bloodletting was in
early March, and on that day, after I’d spent a good hour in bed wallowing in
self-pity, I picked up my current project, Exploits,
and wrote the scene that explained my heroine’s fear of rejection and her
desire not to disappoint the people she loves.Not exactly the same emotion, but close enough that I was feeling it.

By the time I had finished the scene, I felt a slight
improvement in my mood, and moved on to more humorous scenes.Not so surprising, really.After all, what is writing if not the
opportunity to vent?So strangely enough,
life’s curve balls, the ones that can sap my inspiration and motivation to
write, can be alleviated by doing just that.

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Ah, writer’s block.Thou art the bane of a writer’s existence.Normally I ignore you.Normally you and I play a game of chicken,
where you threaten to cut off my creative juices, and I continue to write
anyway…daring you to do it.

This morning you are making progress.I sit, pen and paper in hand, thinking about
how determined I have been as of late to write a new blog post every week.But you, writer’s block, you defy me.You challenge me to make good on that vow, to
find something of value to say to anyone who reads this.Probably, you are laughing.

Life was so much easier when I posted to this blog
sporadically.If I was in the mood to
write about something concerning, well, writing, I simply wrote it.Since I wrote only when I felt like I had
something to say, writer’s block held no sway.It never even made an appearance.

My self-imposed deadline has changed all that.Now I sit brainstorming, wondering what more
I could say that might be relevant.

I have stared down writer’s block with many other
writing tasks...played the game of chicken and emerged victorious.Time to draft that book and no ideas are
flowing?No problem.Just start writing.Doesn’t matter if it’s garbage.Eventually something worth saying will be
said.Ditto for the rewrites.And also for my podcast segments.This blog should be no different.I should just start writing.After several paragraphs of material destined
for deletion, something good should come out of this.I am too stubborn to fail.Too stubborn not to write.My stubbornness has served me well through
every bout of writer’s block ever suffered.

Wait…I have just realized something.My stubbornness has borne fruit once
more.I have started writing, despite
the lack of what feels like inspiration…and look…here is a blog post.Written utilizing exactly the same methods I
have utilized with every past episode of writer’s block…by simply writing
anyway.

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

I have a clock on my phone.There’s one on my bedside table, too, so I
know instantly, upon opening my eyes, exactly what time it is.If need be, this clock can wake me at a
specified hour.The microwave in my
kitchen also contains a clock.As does
my stove, just in case I happen to be facing the opposite direction.No matter where I stand in my kitchen, I can
see what time it is.And if I climb
inside my car to drive somewhere, well you guessed it, there’s a clock there,
too.

This obsession with time helps me schedule my
day.Knowing what time it is allows me
to run errands and be places I need to be, when I need to be there.Because of my clocks, I can accomplish all
the tasks that make up my day.On good
days this plethora of time-keeping devices tells me one more thing:how much time I have to spend doing the
things I actually want to do.Like
writing.When all goes as planned, I do
a lot of writing.Currently I’m putting
the finishing touches on Redemption,
the final installment of my Desire Never
Dies trilogy, scheduled to be released in June.When I’m not polishing that book, I’m working
on my next book, Exploits, which will
kick-off my new 4-book series, Sex and
Secrets.Then, of course, there’s
this blog post I’m writing right now, for my Creative Juices blog.And
last but not least, there’s the Revolution
Gossip segment I do every week for the Revolution
Diaries podcast.That requires a bit
of writing as well.

I love writing, so I really don’t mind all these
jobs.In fact, it’s the highlight of my
day when I can find time to squeeze it all in.

Recently, however, I found it necessary to rejoin the
workforce.And even though it’s only
part-time, it’s a time suck.There’s
just no other way of putting it.It also
coincides badly with my newfound determination to post more regularly on my
blog.All of my carefully planned and
scheduled activities have been thrown into a tailspin.People with full-time jobs, I salute you!!Mind you, I’ve gone that route myself in the
past.Just not in a very long time.

Which brings me to the point of this entire
ramble:time.We never seem to have enough of it.Always there is more we need to do, more we
want to do.And until such time as
someone finally invents a time machine, or Doctor
Who becomes real and takes me on as his companion, I am left struggling for
more time.